Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress

42 Pages·2014·2.09 MB·English

IWMI
Research
Climate Change, Out-migration
Report
and Agrarian Stress: The
Potential for Upscaling Small-scale
159
Water Storage in Nepal
Fraser Sugden, Lata Shrestha, Luna Bharati, Pabitra Gurung, Laxmi
Maharjan, John Janmaat, James I. Price, Tashi Yang Chung Sherpa,
Utsav Bhattarai, Shishir Koirala and Basu Timilsina
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IWMI Research Report 159
Climate Change, Out-migration and
Agrarian Stress: The Potential for Upscaling
Small-scale Water Storage in Nepal

Fraser Sugden, Lata Shrestha, Luna Bharati, Pabitra Gurung,
Laxmi Maharjan, John Janmaat, James I. Price,
Tashi Yang Chung Sherpa, Utsav Bhattarai, Shishir Koirala
and Basu Timilsina
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
P O Box 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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The authors: Fraser Sugden is a Researcher - Social Science at the International Water Management
Institute (IWMI), Kathmandu, Nepal; Lata Shrestha is a Senior Project Manager at the South Asia Office
of Renewable World, Kathmandu, Nepal (formerly a consultant with IWMI, Kathmandu, Nepal); Luna
Bharati is a Senior Researcher - Hydrology and Water Resources, and Head of the Nepal Office of IWMI,
Kathmandu, Nepal; Pabitra Gurung is a PhD candidate at the University of Northern British Columbia,
Canada (formerly a Research Officer at IWMI, Kathmandu, Nepal); Laxmi Maharjan is a former consultant
with IWMI, Kathmandu, Nepal; John Janmaat is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of
British Columbia, Canada; James Price is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Brock University, Canada; and
Tashi Yang Chung Sherpa and Utsav Bhattarai are consultants with IWMI, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Sugden, F.; Shrestha, L.; Bharati, L.; Gurung, P.; Maharjan, L.; Janmaat, J.; Price, J. I.; Sherpa, T. Y. C.;
Bhattarai, U.; Koirala, S.; Timilsina, B. 2014. Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential
for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management
Institute (IWMI). 38p. (IWMI Research Report 159). doi: 10.5337/2014.210
/ climate change / water storage / ponds / tanks / migration / water availability / gender / women farmers
/ agrarian structure / hydrology / models / economic aspects / political aspects / social aspects / land
management / property rights / case studies / Nepal /
ISSN 1026-0862
ISBN 978-92-9090-792-3
Copyright © 2014, by IWMI. All rights reserved. IWMI encourages the use of its material provided that the
organization is acknowledged and kept informed in all such instances.
Front cover photograph shows a plastic storage pond and irrigated vegetable cultivation in Moli, Okhaldhunga
District, Nepal (photo: Fraser Sugden).
Please send inquiries and comments to: [email protected]
A free copy of this publication can be downloaded at
www.iwmi.org/Publications/IWMI_Research_Reports/index.aspx
Acknowledgements
The core part of this study was funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
(Canadian International Development Agency). Invaluable support in data collection was provided by
Prabin Ghimire (former consultant with IWMI-Nepal), Pratibha Sapkota (former consultant with IWMI-
Nepal) and Ramesh Tamang (IWMI-Nepal). The authors are grateful for the field support provided by
local contacts in the study districts including Amrit Magar, Tika Rai and Saroj Bomjan, and would like to
thank Rajendra Shrestha, Rajendra Uprety, the field office staff at the Water and Energy Commission
Secretariat (WECS) in Chautara, and the Department of Irrigation in Kathmandu, all of whom provided
logistical advice and local expertise. The valuable feedback and comments provided by Brady MacCarl
(former intern with IWMI-Nepal) and Vladimir Smakhtin (Theme Leader – Water Availability and Access,
IWMI) are greatly appreciated. The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food
Security (CCAFS) provided future climate projections, which were used in the analysis of climate change.
CCAFS also supported the latter part of the study, which involved collecting case study information on
existing water storage infrastructure.
Project
This research study was initiated as part of the Preparing for an uncertain water future in Nepal through
sustainable storage development project.
Collaborators
This research study was a collaboration of the following organizations:
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
University of British Columbia, Canada
Donors
This research study was funded by the following:
Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (formerly Canadian International Development
Agency)
This work was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research
Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
(CCAFS), which is a strategic partnership of CGIAR and Future
Earth. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food secure
future. The views expressed in this document cannot be taken
to reflect the official opinions of CGIAR or Future Earth.
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Contents
Summary vii
Introduction 1
Study Area 3
Methods 4
Hydrological Assessment 4
Socioeconomic Methods and Selection of Case Study Communities 5
Climate Change and Water Stress in the Study Basins 7
Seasonal Water Availability 7
Perceptions of Water Stress by Community Members and the Link to
Climate Change 8
The Potential for Water Storage 9
Existing Water Storage Systems in the Study Area 13
Concrete Storage Ponds 13
Plastic Ponds 15
Closed Storage 16
Political Economic Context and Challenges to Upscaling Storage
Infrastructure 17
Agrarian Stress and Out-migration 17
Inequality and Power Relations 23
Conclusions 26
Water Storage, and Agrarian and Social Change 26
Engage with Youth 26
Engage with Women Farmers and Elders 27
Understand and Build Upon Local Institutions 27
Match Scale with Community Needs 28
Better Integrate Storage Development with Agricultural Extension 28
Integrate Small-scale Storage Development with Source Protection
and Water Storage at a Larger Scale 28
References 29
v

Summary
Climate change could have a critical impact limited access to funds constrains women from
on agriculture in Nepal due to changes in the taking a lead in maintaining existing irrigation
variability of water availability and associated systems, particularly when they still have a limited
uncertainty. In this context, small-scale water role in management of communal infrastructure.
storage—most notably ponds and tanks—can Third, management institutions for existing water
moderate this variability. This report explores resources and stress on community relations
the potential role of small-scale storage due to out-migration impact the success of past
infrastructure in two subbasins within the larger interventions. Last, inequitable landownership
Koshi Basin in central and eastern Nepal. It structures and property rights have not only
is shown that upscaling small-scale storage skewed the distribution of benefits from past
requires an appreciation of the other drivers of interventions but also contributed to underlying
change in agriculture aside from climate, and conflicts over water. Unequal power relations
identifies the social relations and dynamics in decision making have also shown to be
which could mediate in future interventions for a concern, particularly when the priorities of
their success. households with regard to water storage solutions
A distributed hydrological model was used vary according to one’s position in the agrarian
to assess the impacts of climate change in the class structure.
two subbasins. In both subbasins, precipitation It is clear from the research that, while
is highest during the monsoonal months, June- small-scale water storage has the potential
September, which is then reflected in the water to significantly strengthen livelihoods in the
yield and evapotranspiration values. In the Nepali hills, it is necessary to tailor projects
Indrawati and Pankhu subbasins, annual total to the existing socioeconomic context. This
water yields are 74 and 57%, respectively. includes, first, the need for targeted engagement
Therefore, both subbasins have underutilized or training for new interventions for potential
water resources and high potential to develop migrant youths, and the women and elders
storage infrastructure. Climate change projections who stay behind. Second, it is necessary to
suggest dry-season water shortages as well identify and understand successful irrigation
as increases in variability, which make water- management institutions in potential beneficiary
storage systems increasingly important. communities, so that they can be harnessed.
However, through an analysis of existing Third, it is important to build new infrastructure
irrigation systems with and without storage, a of an appropriate scale according to levels of
number of constraints to upscaling small-scale out-migration and other social stresses. Fourth, it
storage become evident. First, out-migration is critical to integrate water-storage development
is affecting male farmer incentives to invest with appropriate agricultural extension. Last,
in irrigation as some farmers prefer to pursue storage development should be integrated with
livelihoods outside of farming rather than investing water basin management at a larger scale to
in dry-season production. Second, the increased ensure the sustainability of springs and other
work burden of women left behind and often with resources which feed new infrastructure.
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